Planetary Verbosity

Wow…I apologize for the lack of updates last week, but I was working inventory at work, which is a 5:45 am to 4:45 pm shift all week. Needless to say, I didn’t feel like blogging – or doing much of anything else.

Those of you who are friends on Facebook and in real life already know this, but for everyone else, we need to announce a new arrival to our household! No, not that kind of new arrival! You all should know by now that I’m childfree and have very strong opinions about that.

Our new arrival is a tiny kitten who was dumped somewhere around our homestead. Dave figures she was dropped off last Monday. On Tuesday, on a whim, my parents decided to visit the homestead with Snoopy while Dave and I were at work. They were the ones who came home with news of an abandoned kitten who came out of the woods and followed them around. They thought about bringing it home but decided to wait until they talked with us about it. (The weather last week was unseasonably warm and sunny.)

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted another cat. I’m not a fan of having cat hair all over everything, cleaning the litterbox, etc. At the same time, we all figured that since this kitten followed people around (as opposed to the feral barn cats/kittens that have passed through over the last two years), it was definitely dumped and probably wouldn’t survive the winter if left to fend for itself up there. We also reasoned that it didn’t belong to any of the neighbors. It was a tough choice – take it in ourselves, leave it up there, or take it to the shelter.

The next day, I knew Dave was going up to the homestead. Before I left for work, I told him to do what he thought was right. I did have some stipulations, though – no fleas, worms, Hershey squirts, scabs, etc.

I texted him sometime in the afternoon, and my suspicions were affirmed…we had a new kitten at home. I met Phil here at the house for our banjo lesson (more on that in another entry), and when we came inside, we were met by an adorable sight – Dave cradling a tiny kitten in his arms.

After asking for some help from our friends on Facebook and getting some good suggestions, we ended up going with one of our own choices for what we thought – and hoped – was a female kitten. (Hey, it’s hard to tell when they’re this young!)

Since we’re both big “I Love Lucy” fans, and since it would fit with the Peanuts theme (we already have a Snoopy), we decided to go with…Lucy!

Since this story is already long enough, and no story about baby animals is good without pictures, here are a few pictures of Lucy.

First, sitting on the porch post:

Laying on the porch…does this face look disposable to you?

Sleeping on the back of the loveseat in front of the window. Dave and I thought the same thing – that she looks like the Chessie railroad cat in this pic.

She had her first vet visit this evening. They confirmed that she is definitely female, she weighs 2 pounds, and they’re estimating that she is about eight weeks old. She doesn’t have ear mites, tested negative for feline leukemia, got her first round of vaccinations and deworming (she didn’t have worms – it’s just standard), and is now back home…sleeping on Dave, as usual.

From certain behaviors, it’s obvious that she has spent time indoors and around humans. Why anyone would dump a tiny kitten in the woods to fend for itself is beyond me. In any case, she now has a nice home with a family that loves her…except for the dog, who is jealous to the point of getting sick. (Keep in mind, he grew up with Sassay, so he’s lived with a cat before.) I think he’ll come around.